Baltimore Sports Media Approval Ratings: Buck Martinez
First, an update: with 51 votes cast (more, actually, than I expected), Amber Theoharis registers a 75% favorable rating. Congratulations, Amber. Nobody can take this away from you.
On to the next…
With me being on vacation for the week I figured I’d go just slightly off-center for the second installment of the Baltimore Sports Media Approval Ratings. But while Buck Martinez doesn’t get the face time of an Amber Theoharis and isn’t nearly as controversial as some of our future poll subjects are sure to be, he’s nonetheless a big part of the local sports media landscape. He’s a former major league player and manager, and in addition to broadcasting Orioles games as part of the TV crew (with Thorne and Palmer, who will both get their turns) he also works for XM radio, ESPN, and TBS. Not a bad body of work.
(read more about Buck at his Wikipedia page and at his official Orioles bio)
But just because he works a lot doesn’t mean he does it all well. That’s what we’re here to decide, at least insofar as Baltimore sports fans are concerned. So cast your “yea” or “nay” vote below, then use the comments to explain yourself. And, as always, keep it clean, keep it cool, and assume that Buck is probably reading.
- [poll id="3"]
Voted nay not because I “hate” the guy, but I do find him generally annoying in his biasness against the Orioles and statements of the obvious. Seems like a nice guy, but I’m tired of seeing him pretend to give the Os a fair shake.
I actually like Buck for his dead-obvious commentary because I think it’s a dead-on stereotype of your average baseball broadcaster. He’s got that nasally voice and says things like, “Well, what you need here is to get a couple of hits to get yourself back in the game.” Classic! I eat that shit up.
In all seriousness, though, he’s a hard working guy who does multiple jobs and still finds some time for us O’s. And, really, I do need a break from Palmer every now and then. But Buck would be much more pleasing to listen to if he were paired up with Thorne more often. The Jim Hunter/Buck Martinez combo can be a little much.
agreed, I almost added that as a caveat; that Buck is better with Thorne than Hunter.
His voice grates on my ears, and his commentary ranges from “Back when I managed the Blue Jays” to “This thing I just said three times already”. He’s certainly knowledgeable enough, but what does he bring to the color guy role that is special, exactly? I’ve listened to a lot of different broadcasts (since I use MLB’s tv over the internet option which annoyingly doesn’t let me choose my feed) and while Buck is head and shoulders above a lot of color guys, he’s still far down the list of people I want to listen to (which starts, actually, at Joe Girardi and then works itself down through Ken Singleton and Jim Palmer).
So, Buck, sorry but you are nothing special, and I disapprove.
This pretty cool, from his Wiki page:
Martinez’s career took a bad turn when he severely dislocated his ankle and broke his leg in a home plate collision with the Seattle Mariners’ Phil Bradley at the Kingdome on July 9, 1985. After the collision, he still managed to throw the ball to third base in an attempt to catch the advancing runner, his former teammate Gorman Thomas. When the throw went into left field, Thomas tried to come home. However, he was tagged out by a sprawled-out Martinez, who had managed to catch the return throw from George Bell on the ground, thus completing what is perhaps the only 9-2-7-2 double play in Major League history.
Dude broke his leg and still managed to tag out TWO guys at the plate. That’s gangster.
I voted nay only because he’s just so average and so completely boring to listen to, I couldn’t give him a seal of approval. He’s not great at what he does, and he’s not overly annoying like Thorne. He’s just there.
BTW I thought this funny (and completely off topic, but I wanted to share):
http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hernalu01.shtml
Luis Hernandez’s middle name (I guess thats his middle name) is “Mendoza”.
Greg, that’s his mother’s maiden name, his middle name from that link begins with an A. Hispanic full names entail of: First Name-Middle Name-Confirmation Name-Mother’s Maiden Name-Father’s/Family’s Last Name.
But still…very funny and fitting that Mendoza is in the guy’s name, talk about not even having a chance to bat well. lol